The Evolution of Man

[Ngala]

Interesting questions @GrizzlyClaws.

Graecopithecus, found in southern Greece, has been dated around 7.37–7.11 Ma, but before so far was been considered the oldest Hominini known Sahelantropus tchadensis (Djurab desert from Chad) that is dated around 7 Ma (7.2–6.8 Ma is proposed by Lebatard et al., 2008), but very close; Graecopithecus is not considered an ape, but a direct ancestor of the genus Homo and the last common ancestor between the Homo and Pan (human and chimpanzees), before their divergence.

With this data and these information, i think that there are two possible theories about the evolution of these interesting early hominin:

1 – Sahelantropus and Graecopithecus is derived from a common ancestors (missing ring) that occupied the eastern mediterranean land like the Balkans, Greece peninsula, Middle East from the mediterranean sea and north east Africa; they have been divided by the progressive desertification of northern Africa, leading a two separeted species, with the Graecopithecus which evolved into a “not ape” hominid earlier to the Sahelantropus;

2 – Sahelantropus is a discendent of Graecopithecus (and much further on the evolutionary line of the Australopithecus, around 4-2 Ma); this last is developed into Balkans and Greece peninsula, he migred in north Africa and he settled in north eastern Africa. They have separeted from the progressive desertification, with a subsequently diverisfication. 

Another hominid was found in northern Greece and has been dated around 9.6–8.7 Ma, Ouranopithecus macedoniensis, the direct ancestor of Ouranopithecus turkae (8.7 – 7.4 Ma) from central Anatolia. 

This means that the migrations are frequently, and i think that we can not exclude that the ancestors of the genus Homo that has split from Pan genus was happened in the eastern mediterranean region, and subsequently he migrated to Africa. Reply